KalPa Naiset
Kalevan Pallo Naiset (lit. 'Kaleva's Ball Women'), abbreviated as KalPa Naiset, are an ice hockey team in the Naisten Liiga (NSML). Founded in 1990, the team plays in Kuopio, the largest city in Finland's eastern-central province of North Savo, at the Kuopion jäähalli (unofficially known as Niiralan Monttu or Niirala); Lippumäen jäähalli serves as a secondary venue. The team won the Finnish Championship (SM) silver medal in 2021, and have won four SM bronze medals, in 1995, 1996, 2017, and 2023.
| Kalevan Pallo Naiset | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Kuopio, Finland |
| League | Naisten Liiga |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Home arena | Kuopion jäähalli Lippumäen jäähalli |
| Colours | Black, gold |
| Owner(s) | Juniori-KalPa ry |
| General manager | Jukka Koskinen |
| Head coach | Mika Väärälä |
| Captain | Johanna Juutilainen |
| Affiliate | KalPa Akatemia |
| Website | Official website |
 Current season | |
History
In 2020, the team qualified for the Aurora Borealis Cup playoff final and were set to face the reigning champions, Kiekko-Espoo, when the playoffs were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic before the first game of the finals. By making it to the playoff finals, KalPa was guaranteed at least a silver medal, which would have been the highest finish in team history to that point, but with the cancellation of the season no Finnish Championship (SM) medals were awarded.[1]
Season-by-season results
This is a partial list of the most recent seasons completed by KalPa Naiset.
Note: Finish = Rank at end of regular season; GP = Games played, W = Wins (3 points), OTW = Overtime wins (2 points), OTL = Overtime losses (1 point), L = Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points, Top scorer: Points (Goals+Assists)
| Season | League | Regular season | Post season results | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | Pts | Top scorer | |||
| 2015–16 | Naisten SM-sarja | 6th | 28 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 47 | 124 | 24 |  Jo. Juutilainen 32 (10+22) |
Lost quarterfinals, 0–2 (HPK) |
| 2016–17 | Naisten SM-sarja | 3rd | 28 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 100 | 72 | 57 | T. Niskanen 36 (15+21) |
 Won bronze medal, 1–0 (HPK) |
| 2017–18 | Naisten Liiga | 6th | 30 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 112 | 92 | 47 | T. Niskanen 44 (20+24) |
Lost quarterfinals, 1–3 (Blues) |
| 2018–19 | Naisten Liiga | 4th | 30 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 154 | 83 | 57 | T. Niskanen 79 (31+48) |
Lost bronze medal, 0–1 (Kärpät) |
| 2019–20 | Naisten Liiga | 3rd | 30 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 124 | 64 | 61 | E. Holopainen 62 (37+25) |
Won semifinals, 3–0 (Ilves) Finals cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2020–21 | Naisten Liiga | 2nd | 25 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 121 | 51 | 56 | E. Holopainen 64 (39+25) |
 Lost finals, 1–3 (K-Espoo) |
| 2021–22 | Naisten Liiga | 8th | 30 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 70 | 96 | 32 | Jo. Juutilainen 34 (9+25) |
Lost quarterfinals, 1–3 (K-Espoo) |
| 2022–23 | Naisten Liiga | 2nd | 36 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 197 | 65 | 93 | E. Holopainen 75 (41+34) |
Won bronze medal, 1–0 (HPK) |
Players and personnel
2023–24 roster
Coaching staff and team personnel
- Head coach: Mika Väärälä
- Assistant coach: Pekka Romppanen
- Assistant coach: Jere Hakkarainen
- Conditioning coach: Tarja Koski
- Team managers: Taina Lappi & Maarit Paroinen
- Equipment managers: Lasse Herranen & Jari Hämäläinen
Team captains
- Johanna Juutilainen, 2010–11
- Isa Rahunen, 2011–12
- Marjo Voutilainen, 2012–13
- Venla Hovi & Anni Kettunen, 2013–14
- Johanna Juutilainen, 2015–2018
- Tanja Niskanen, 2018–19[5]
- Tiina Ranne & Emma Ritari, 2019–20[6]
- Emma Ritari, 2020–21
- Johanna Juutilainen, 2021–
Head coaches
- Mikko Miettinen, –2000
- Seppo Tirronen, 2000–
- Marjo Voutilainen, 2016–2022
- Mika Väärälä, 2022[7]–
Awards and honours
Finnish Championship
- Aurora Borealis Cup Runners-up (1): 2021
- Third Place (4) : 1995, 1996, 2017, 2023
Player awards
- Riikka Nieminen Award (Player of the Year)
- 2020–21: Elisa Holopainen[11]
- 2019–20: Tanja Niskanen
- 2018–19: Elisa Holopainen
- Katja Riipi Award (Best forward)
- 2020–21: Elisa Holopainen
- 2019–20: Elisa Holopainen
- 2018–19: Elisa Holopainen
- Marianne Ihalainen Award (Top point scorer)
- 2018–19: Elisa Holopainen
- Tiia Reima Award (Top goal scorer)
- 2022–23: Elisa Holopainen
- 2020–21: Matilda Nilsson
- 2019–20: Elisa Holopainen
- 2018–19: Elisa Holopainen
- Sari Fisk Award (Best plus/minus)
- 2019–20: Matilda Nilsson
- Emma Laaksonen Award (Fair-play player)
- 2020–21: Johanna Juutilainen
- 2016–17: Tanja Niskanen
- Hannu Saintula Award (Coach of the Year)
- 2019–20: Marjo Voutilainen
Player of the Month
All-Stars
First Team
- 2020–21: Elisa Holopainen (W), Matilda Nilsson (W)
- 2019–20: Elisa Holopainen (W), Tanja Niskanen (C), Matilda Nilsson (W)
- 2018–19: Tanja Niskanen (C), Elisa Holopainen (W)
- 2014–15: Matilda Nilsson (W)
- 2013–14: Venla Hovi (W)
Second Team
- 2020–21: Tiina Ranne (G)
- 2019–20: Tiina Ranne (G)
- 2018–19: Matilda Nilsson (W)
- 2017–18: Matilda Nilsson (W), Elisa Holopainen (W)
- 2016–17: Matilda Nilsson (W), Tanja Niskanen (C)
Team records
Various individual KalPa Naiset player records achieved through the end of the 2022–23 season.[15]
Single-season records
- Most points in a season: Tanja Niskanen, 79 points (29 games; 2018–19)
- Most points in a season, defenceman: Sanni Rantala, 39 points (30 games; 2022–23)
- Most goals in a season: Elisa Holopainen, 41 goals (28 games; 2022–23)
- Most assists in a season: Tanja Niskanen, 48 assists (29 games; 2018–19)
- Best points per game, over 10 games played: Marjo Voutilainen, 3.00 (14 games; 1997–98)
- Most penalty minutes in a season: Kirsi Hänninen, 66 PIM (23 games; 1995–96)
- Best save percentage in a season, over ten games played: Tiina Ranne, .942 SVS% (18 games; 2019–20)
- Best goals against average in a season, over ten games played: Tiina Ranne, 1.67 GAA (20 games; 2022–23)
Career records
- Most career goals: Tanja Niskanen, 257 goals (301 games; 2006–2022)
- Most career assists: Johanna Juutilainen, 234 assists (301 games; 2009–2023)
- Most career points: Tanja Niskanen, 488 points (301 games; 2006–2022)
- Best career points per game, over 30 games played: Elisa Holopainen, 2.05 points per game (157 games; 2016–2023)
- Most career points, defenceman: Tanja Koljonen, 103 points (137 games; 2016–2023)
- Most career penalty minutes: Salla Rantanen, 322 PIM (272 games; 2012–2023)
- Most games played, skater: Johanna Juutilainen, 316 games (2009–2023)
- Most games played, goaltender: Jenna Juutilainen, 125 games (2009–2023)
All-time scoring leaders
The top regular season point scorers in KalPa Naiset history, as of April 2023.[15]
Note: Nat = Nationality; Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; = 2023–24 KalPa player
| Nat | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | P/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Tanja Niskanen | F | 301 | 257 | 231 | 488 | 1.62 |
|
Johanna Juutilainen | F | 316 | 142 | 234 | 376 | 1.19 |
|
Elisa Holopainen | F | 157 | 174 | 148 | 322 | 2.05 |
|
Matilda Nilsson | F | 189 | 164 | 140 | 304 | 1.61 |
|
Salla Rantanen | F | 272 | 97 | 112 | 209 | 0.77 |
|
Marjo Voutilainen | F | 177 | 86 | 101 | 187 | 1.06 |
|
Kati Kovalainen | F | 70 | 72 | 35 | 107 | 1.53 |
|
Tanja Koljonen | D | 137 | 20 | 83 | 103 | 0.75 |
|
Emma Ritari | D | 251 | 34 | 68 | 102 | 0.41 |
|
Liisa Kastikainen | F | 171 | 48 | 51 | 99 | 0.58 |
|
Eija Rahunen | F | 80 | 28 | 54 | 82 | 1.02 |
|
Tiina Paananen | F | 58 | 46 | 35 | 81 | 1.40 |
|
Isa Rahunen | D | 135 | 34 | 47 | 81 | 0.60 |
|
Venla Hovi | F | 49 | 38 | 36 | 74 | 1.51 |
|
Anni Kettunen | D | 174 | 23 | 42 | 65 | 0.37 |
Notable alumni
Years active with KalPa listed alongside player name.[16]
- Venla Hovi, 2012–2014
- Kirsi Hänninen, 1995–96
- Kati Kovalainen, 1993–1996
- Rose Matilainen, 1993–1996
- Terhi Mertanen, 1999–2001
- Matilda Nilsson, 2014–2021
- Oona Parviainen, 1993–1999
- Tuula Puputti, 1992–1995
- Isa Rahunen, 2006–2013
- Saila Saari, 2020–21
- Riikka Sallinen, 1995–96
- Eve Savander, 2013–14
- Marjo Voutilainen, 1995–2001 & 2010–2014
International player(s)
Nozomi Kiribuchi, 2015–16
References
- Pulkkinen, Aki-Petteri (27 May 2020). "Näkemys: Naiskiekolle ei jäänyt kaudesta mitään käteen − Korona ryösti vuoden työn". Jatkoaika.com (in Finnish). Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- "Naisten Liiga (W) - KalPa, 2023-2024 Roster". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- "2023-2024 Naisten Liiga – Kokoonpano KalPa". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- "Naiset Liiga > Joukkue". Juniori KalPa (in Finnish). Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- Foster, Meredith (30 November 2018). "Q&A with Tanja Niskanen". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
- "Naisten Liigan avausturnaus Kuopiossa - esittelyssä kauden 2019-2020 joukkue". Juniori-KalPa ry (in Finnish). 4 September 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- Ruotsalainen, Annu (6 April 2022). "KalPa Naisten päävalmentaja vaihtuu – KMH Budapestin kanssa kolme mestaruutta voittanut valmentaja Mika Väärälä siirtyy Kuopioon". Jatkoaika (in Finnish). Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto; Liiga. Aaltonen, Juha (ed.). Jääkiekkokirja 2019–2020 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Uusi Suomi/Kiekkolehti. ISSN 0784-3321. OCLC 476321083.
- "Juniori-KalPa ry - KalPan naisille SM-hopeaa". Juniori-KalPa ry (in Finnish). 26 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- Löfman, Heikki (18 March 2023). "KalPa juhlii pronssia – HPK taipui Niiralassa". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 18 March 2023.
- Niemeläinen, Jonne (16 March 2020). "Huikeat tehot kerännyt 19-vuotias KalPa-hyökkääjä Elisa Holopainen palkittiin Naisten Liigan runkosarjan parhaana – huomenna edessä kauden tärkein peli". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- Mennander, Pasi (1 December 2022). "KalPan Elisa Holopainen Naisten Liigan marraskuun pelaaja". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- Mennander, Pasi (1 October 2020). "KalPan Elisa Holopainen Naisten Liigan syyskuun pelaaja". leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
- Mennander, Pasi (2 October 2019). "KalPan Matilda Nilsson Naisten Liigan syyskuun pelaaja". leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- "KalPa - All Time Regular Season Player Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- "KalPa - All Time Overall Totals Player Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
External links
- Team information and statistics from EliteProspects.com and EuroHockey.com and HockeyArchives.info (in French)
- KalPa Naiset on Facebook
- KalPa Naiset on Instagram
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